The transferable lane barrier system disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,498,803, 4,500,225 and 4,624,601 is adapted to be lifted by a transfer vehicle and moved to a selected position on a roadway or the like. Lane barrier systems of this type find particular application at roadway construction sites and on roadways and bridges wherein the groupings of incoming and outgoing lanes of traffic must be varied, particularly during commute hours.
As discussed in applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 196,435 filed on May 20, 1988 for "Anti-Crash Lane Barrier With Self-Centering Hinges," it is advantageous to provide the system with the ability to elongate or contract to accommodate positioning of the system at varied radii on a curved roadway. For example, it has been determined that when the system is moved radially outward from a 1200 ft. radius to a 1212 ft. radius, the composite length of the lane barrier system must increase by approximately 0.25 in. for each three feet in length of the barrier system to effectively accommodate this new position on the same, curved roadway. Conversely, repositioning of the barrier system radially inwardly to a new position on the curved roadway, having a radius of curvature of 1188 ft., will require a corresponding contraction of the composite length of the lane barrier system.
The invention disclosed and claimed in the above-referenced application solves this problem by providing elastomeric pads in the hinge connections, between each pair of adjacent modules of the lane barrier system, whereby the modules will: (1) elongate or contract to assume a composite varied length different from their nominal composite length in response to the imposition of a load on the system, and (2) return the modules to their nominal composite length when the load is removed.
The invention herein constitutes an improvement over the invention covered by such application in that it was recognized by applicant that preloading of the hinges, connecting adjacent pairs of modules together, would facilitate a higher degree of uniform spacing between the modules when they are loaded onto a transfer vehicle for subsequent replacement on a roadway. In addition, when the lane barier system is placed in situ on a roadway, a greater impact force would be required to move the modules thereof to thereby increase the anti-crash capabilities of the system.